The Halifax Academy
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The Halifax Academy is a converter academy in Halifax for boys and girls aged 4 to 16. It has 1,461 pupils, 141 more than it has places for. About 41 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 38 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 39% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.
Gibbet Street, Halifax, HX2 0BA01422 301080thehalifaxacademy.orgMr Matt Perry headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 14 June 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
205 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 | Calderdale | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 205 | 199 | 199 | 209 | 177 | 173 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 44.1 | 40.9 | 44.7 | 35.6 | 46.9 | 43.6 | 49.7 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -0.20 | +0.30 | -0.79 | +0.49 | +0.31 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 32% | 32% | 32% | 41% | 38% | 35% | 52% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 55% | 55% | 53% | 60% | 58% | 51% | 70% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 3.54 | 3.50 | 3.69 | 3.63 | 3.96 | 3.62 | 4.33 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 15% | 24% | 37% | 16% | 24% | 20% | 37% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 41.0 | 40.8 | 44.1 | 31.9 | 44.3 | 41.8 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 45.8 | 40.9 | 45.0 | 37.5 | 48.6 | 44.9 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 27.9 | 29.2 | 24.2 | 27.9 | 27.9 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 57.8 | 64.4 | 56.2 | 61.5 | 63.3 | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 14 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Strongest subjects
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Mathematics (34% here, 53% across England), Combined Science (24% here, 36% across England).
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art and Design | 230 | 45% | 86% | 98% | 58% | 276 of 2,818 |
| English Language | 205 | 16% | 48% | 66% | 54% | 1,968 of 3,210 |
| Mathematics | 205 | 8% | 34% | 58% | 53% | 2,815 of 3,211 |
| English Literature | 200 | 15% | 55% | 69% | 58% | 1,660 of 3,202 |
| Combined Science | 171 | 4% | 24% | 43% | 36% | 2,329 of 3,084 |
| History | 115 | 22% | 48% | 57% | 52% | 1,752 of 3,126 |
| Geography | 77 | 21% | 46% | 62% | 51% | 1,707 of 3,116 |
| Social Studies | 29 | 28% | 69% | 86% | 54% | 229 of 1,043 |
| Physics | 28 | 36% | 82% | 100% | 82% | 1,517 of 2,546 |
| Chemistry | 28 | 54% | 100% | 100% | 81% | 353 of 2,537 |
| Biology | 28 | 46% | 93% | 100% | 82% | 926 of 2,570 |
| Religious Studies | 26 | 27% | 77% | 89% | 60% | 415 of 1,825 |
| German | 18 | 44% | 89% | 94% | 63% | – |
| Spanish | 9 | 44% | 100% | 100% | 54% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
60 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | Calderdale | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 60 | 59 | 58 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 58% | 66% | 52% | 62% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 3% | 2% | 6% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 104.0 | 105.0 | 103.0 | 105.1 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 102.0 | 103.0 | 101.0 | 104.3 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 101.0 | 103.0 | 103.0 | 104.3 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 75% | 78% | 72% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 65% | 75% | 60% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 70% | 73% | 74% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -0.1 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | -0.7 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | 56% | 46% | 58% | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | 60% | 80% | 49% | – | – |
There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 4 of the 7 gaps are smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At GCSE, 2025
At the end of primary school, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Open to all. There is no entrance test.
About 164 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.
In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.
We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.
How places were given out for September 2026. Every child who applied got a place (43 offers for 60 places).
| Entry | Places | Put it first | Got a place | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Primary | 60 | 43 | 43 | – all offered | LA |
| 2026 Secondary | 210 | 166 | 166 | – all offered | LA |
| 2025 Primary | 60 | 51 | 51 | – all offered | LA |
| 2025 Secondary | 210 | 238 | 200 | – all offered | LA |
| 2024 Primary | 60 | 52 | 49 | – all offered | LA |
| 2024 Secondary | 230 | 211 | 211 | – all offered | LA |
| 2023 Primary | 60 | 40 | 40 | – all offered | LA |
| 2023 Secondary | 210 | 214 | 189 | – all offered | LA |
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 24.0 pupils (England 26.2); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.0 (England 28.2).
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (126), language and communications needs (73), emotional and mental health (34), Autistic spectrum disorder (25), Physical disability (12), Specific learning difficulty (9).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 1,461 | 1,451 | 1,449 | 1,445 | 1,420 | 1,388 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 41% | 38% | 32% | 30% | 29% | 26% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 72% | 75% | 76% | 77% | 78% | 80% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 15% | 12% | 11% | 11% | 14% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 4% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 2% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.5% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 8.5% | 10.0% | 10.3% | 10.6% | 7.3% | 5.1% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 4.9% | 4.7% | 5.2% | 5.2% | 3.5% | 2.9% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 3.5% | 5.3% | 5.1% | 5.4% | 3.9% | 2.2% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 27.9% | 34.1% | 37.9% | 41.2% | 25.5% | 13.2% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 43.8 | 42.9 | 28.2 | 18.7 | 42.9 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 12 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 6 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 199 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 86%, compared with 96% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 92% | 89% | 92% | 97% |
| Education | 91% | 87% | 91% | 95% |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 1% | 0% | – |
| Work | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
| Not in education, work or training | 7% | 9% | 5% | 2% |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ling Bob Junior, Infant and Nursery School | Council | 490 m | 330 | Good 2023 | 53 | Compare |
| Christ Church Pellon CofE VC Primary School | Church of England | 610 m | 159 | Good 2022 | 7 | Compare |
| Mount Pellon Primary Academy | Academy | 630 m | 303 | Good 2024 | 59 | Compare |
| Warley Road Primary Academy | Academy | 780 m | 518 | Good 2023 | 74 | Compare |
| St Augustine's CofE School | Academy | 0.7 miles | 156 | No overall grade 2025 | 12 | Compare |
| Broadwood School | Independent (grammar) | 0.8 miles | 42 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Parkinson Lane Community Primary School | Council | 0.8 miles | 535 | Outstanding 2023 | 94 | Compare |
| Calderdale College | Further education | 0.8 miles | – | Not inspected | – | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares The Halifax Academy with the 49 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher
Of those 49 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than The Halifax Academy, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlton Bolling | Academy | 8.3 miles | 1,633 | Outstanding 2023 | 75 | Compare |
| Thornhill Community Academy, A Share Academy | Academy | 12.2 miles | 902 | Good 2023 | 46 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 38 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 38% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 29 to 49. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | below | -0.11 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 205 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | in line | +0.02 | Ofsted grade, 3.2 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | in line | -0.05 | DfE progress measure; 205 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | above | +0.09 | results and attendance rising year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | below | -0.04 | 2024/25; 1,437 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | well below | -0.11 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 205 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | in line | +0.00 | 199 pupils |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is The Halifax Academy a good school?
It is about average. The Halifax Academy scores 38 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 39% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 29 to 49, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is The Halifax Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated The Halifax Academy good at its last full inspection on 14 June 2023.
How good are The Halifax Academy's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 32% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 44.1, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished a little behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How good are The Halifax Academy's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 58% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 2% went further and reached the higher level.
How many pupils does The Halifax Academy have?
1,461 pupils aged 4 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 1,320 places, so it is 111% full.
Is The Halifax Academy oversubscribed?
Probably not. 164 places were empty in 2024/25 (10% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at The Halifax Academy?
Pupils were in school 91.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 28% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at The Halifax Academy?
The average class had 24.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 7% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does The Halifax Academy have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship; 92% of 2022/23 leavers were still in education, work or training six months on.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Gibbet Street, Halifax, HX2 0BA
- Telephone
- 01422 301080
- Website
- www.thehalifaxacademy.org
- Headteacher
- Mr Matt Perry
- Type of school
- Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
- Phase
- All-through school, ages 4-16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- Impact Education Multi Academy Trust (18 schools)
- Local authority
- Calderdale
- Ward
- Warley
- Constituency
- Halifax
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 November 2013 (academy converter)
- URN
- 140326 · LAESTAB 3814035 · UKPRN 10043917
- Formerly
- Halifax High at Wellesley Park
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Calderdale council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.